The water content above which the soil will flow like a liquid, but below which it will have a plastic consistency; the water content corresponding to a penetration of a standard cone in the BS Liquid Limit Test.
A measure of the relationship between the current water content of a soil and its consistency limits.
At liquid limit, IL = 1.0
At plastic limit, IL = 0
The frictional resistance measured along the sleeve in a cone penetration test.
long-term conditionsConditions in the ground in which any excess pore pressures have dissipated and pore pressures are either hydrostatic or conform to steady-state seepage; long-term conditions are the same as end-of-consolidation and fully-drained.